Tag: temporary alimony

Dr Dre and Temporary Alimony

Posted by Ron Kauffman on

Nicole Young will be receiving a substantial amount of temporary alimony during her ongoing divorce from Dr Dre. According to reports, a judge just ordered the music mogul to pay his wife $293,306 per month in temporary spousal support.

Temporary Alimony

Nuthin but a Two Hundred G Thang

Dr Dre, of course, is an American rapper and producer. As a member of N.W.A and later as a solo artist, he sold hundreds of millions of albums and singles during his career. He and music producer Jimmy Iovine co-created “Beats By Dre” which was later acquired be Apple in 2014 for $3 billion. At the time of the sale, Jimmy and Dre both owned 25% of Beats by Dre and each reportedly earned $750 million from the deal.

In June of 2020 it was reported that Dre’s wife of 24 years had filed for divorce. At the time of the filing some estimated that Dre’s net worth was $820 million. While Nicole’s temporary alimony award would be considered “ok” for most people, the amount is much less than what she asked for.

In September 2020, Nicole asked for $2 million per month to cover her needs. The recent temporary alimony award amounts to a temporary alimony of more than $3.5 million a year.

In addition to the monthly cash payments, Dr Dre will also reportedly have to pay for the expenses of their Malibu and Pacific Palisades homes and will pay for Nicole’s health insurance. The couple has two adult children.

Florida Temporary Alimony

I’ve written about alimony before. In every Florida dissolution of marriage case, the court can grant alimony to either party. Not many people realize there are several types of alimony in Florida: bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative, durational, permanent alimony, and of course, temporary alimony.

Florida courts can also award a combination of alimony types in a divorce. Alimony awards are normally paid in periodic payments, but sometimes the payments can be in a lump sum or both lump sum and periodic payments.

Pursuant to Florida law a judge can award temporary alimony to either spouse if there is a well-founded request while a divorce action is pending. The standard for awarding temporary alimony is the same as when the trial court considers a request for permanent alimony, namely, the parties’ standard of living along with the need of the petitioning spouse and the ability of the other spouse to pay.

Even if you are in a short-term marriage, you can be awarded temporary alimony because the duration of a marriage, standing alone, is not justification for denying temporary relief.

Additionally, even if you have a prenuptial agreement which specifically waives temporary alimony, in Florida temporary alimony cannot be waived by agreement, and may be considered void and against Florida public policy. Instead, a Florida court determines temporary alimony by balancing the needs and ability to pay.

Forgot About Dre

Young filed for divorce from Dr Dre in June 2020 after 24-years of marriage. The divorce proceedings have been anything but amicable. Young accused the acclaimed rapper and producer of emotional and physical abuse; which Dre has strongly denied.

Technically, they are already divorced. Dr. Dre’s marriage was legally dissolved by a family judge after Dre filed a motion for bifurcation, requesting the judge dissolve the marriage and reserve on the remaining issues so they can be resolved later. The divorce case has yet to be finalized.

The Yahoo news report is here.

 

Thelma & Louise and Alimony

Posted by Ron Kauffman on

A star of movies and television, actress Geena Davis, has announced she is divorcing her husband, Reza Jarrahy. According to documents, her husband is seeking alimony from his wife, and has asked that a request for spousal support by Davis be denied. What is alimony?

Earth Girls are Easy

This is Geena Davis’ fourth marriage. The actress’ husband filed for divorce after nearly 17 years of marriage on Tuesday. According to court documents obtained, Jarrahy cited irreconcilable differences and stated Nov. 15, 2017, as their date of separation.

In the court documents, which were filed under the names Rob Doe vs. Veronica Doe, Jarrahy is asking for spousal support and joint legal and physical custody of their children.

He is also asking the judge to deny any request by Davis for spousal support.

Florida Alimony

I’ve written about alimony and alimony reform in Florida often. In every dissolution of marriage case, the court can grant alimony to either party – husband or wife.

There are several types of alimony in Florida: bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative, durational, or permanent alimony. The court can also award a combination of alimony types. Alimony awards are normally paid in periodic payments, but sometimes the payments of alimony can be in a lump sum or both lump sum and periodic payments.

In determining whether to award alimony or not, the court has to first make a determination as to whether a party, like either Davis or her husband, has an actual need for alimony, and whether the other party has the ability to pay alimony.

Once a court determines there is a need and ability to pay alimony, it has to decide the proper type and amount of alimony. In doing so, the court considers several factors, some of which can include:

  • The standard of living established during the marriage.
  • The duration of the marriage.
  • The age and the physical and emotional condition of each party.
  • The financial resources of each party, including the nonmarital and the marital assets and liabilities distributed to each.
  • The earning capacities, educational levels, vocational skills, and employability of the parties and, when applicable, the time necessary for either party to acquire sufficient education or training to enable such party to find appropriate employment.

A League of Her Own

Davis is not only an actress, but a film producer, writer, and former archer. She is known for her roles in The Fly, Beetlejuice, Thelma & Louise, A League of Their Own, and The Accidental Tourist, for which she won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

The People article is here.

 

Temporary Alimony

Posted by Ron Kauffman on

Grammy Award winner, Mary J. Blige, is the only artist with Grammy Awards in R&B, Rap, Gospel, and Pop. She was just ordered to pay her husband, Martin Isaacs, $30,000 month in temporary alimony. For someone who sang the famous: “No More Drama” song, her divorce is anything but.

Dirty Tricks

Mary and her husband Martin married back in 2003. The divorce cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split. The couple has no children together. Mary asked the judge to deny Martin’s ability to get spousal support.

I have written about their divorce before, when she accused Martin of having spent $420,000 of the parties’ marital funds. Martin was Mary’s manager. So, it could be that much of the money allegedly spent on himself or a girlfriend can be chalked it up as “travel charges.” However, Mary alleges the $420,000 in expenses were not business-related.

While the issue of waste remains unsettled, the issue of paying temporary alimony to Martin is not.

Alimony

Generally, Florida Statutes provide that in any proceeding for dissolution of marriage, the trial court can grant alimony to either party. There are many types of alimony in Florida a judge has discretion to award, including: bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative, durational, or permanent.

Also pursuant to Florida law, temporary alimony can be awarded to either spouse if a spouse requests it during a dissolution of marriage action.

The standard for awarding temporary alimony is the same as when the trial court considers a request for permanent alimony, namely, the parties’ standard of living along with the need of the petitioning spouse and the ability of the other spouse to pay.

Sometimes the spouse asking for temporary alimony has significant assets to live on. In cases in which people have significant cash in the bank to support themselves while the suit is pending, courts should not always award temporary alimony, even if the other spouse is able to pay it.

However, if the spouse asking for a temporary alimony has a net worth four times that of the other spouse, especially if their annual income is more, it is unlikely that the spouse would be entitled to an award of temporary alimony. Temporary alimony might not be awarded if the temporary financial award exceeds or nearly exhausts the paying party’s income.

Drama

While Blige and Isaacs have no biological children together, the significant temporary alimony award was designed to accommodate the “style of living” Isaacs was accustomed to while he was married to Blige.

“My success as an entertainer has nothing to do with [Isaacs]. I was successful when I met him and have continued to enjoy success, although there have certainly been ups and downs,” Blige claimed, per E!.

The Grammy-winning singer also explained that she was in debt as she made no money from the European leg of her recent tour.

Worse still for the singer, Blige also has to pay her husband alimony retroactively – dating back to September – as well as account for his attorney fees for a total of $235,000.

The Yahoo article is here.